Free Smoke players getting work done on laptops.

 

By Mike London
mike.london@salisburypost.com

SALISBURY — Salisbury’s Next Generation Academy Defenders — aka Free Smoke — have won their second national football championship in three years.

They’ll be easy to spot on the street. They’ll be wearing rings the size of baseballs.

The Free Smoke team won a 7U national title in 2022. Many of those came boys were back to win championship No. 2 in 9U competition during the first week of December.

This year’s national championships were held in Panama City, Fla., about a mile from the beach. It was a massive event with 13 tournament field and nine different age groups competing, ranging from 6U to 14U.

Competing at a high level 600 miles from home is all part of the Next Generation Academy plan. Football is a tool, the lever that can open a lot of doors when it’s combined with quality study habits, laptop skills and solid grades. Heading to the Florida beaches to take on some of the best in the country reminded the Salisbury youngsters that there’s a big world out there beyond Rowan County, and there are no limits on their future possibilities.

“A lot of these boys have been growing together for four or five years now, and they’ve competed against great athletes,” said Free Smoke head coach Craig Johnson, who has a 63-13 record. “These boys have dedication, they have talent and they are willing to work hard. These young kings represent the future of Rowan County.”

Johnson praised assistant coaches, parents and head team mom Tay Gray (she handles all the paperwork) for another successful season.

“A lot of sacrifices have been made,” Johnson said. “A lot of love and support have helped mold these boys. Our parents have given me a foundation to work from.”

Johnson is from Washington, D.C. Livingstone College brought him to Salisbury for an education. It has become his adopted hometown.

“I grew up in Washington, D.C., without a lot of opportunities,” Johnson said. “So it’s my passion to try to make an impact on youth. I’ve found that football is the best way I can do that. Football can build long-term friendships, lasting relationships. It’s a very good thing to be able to give a young person something to do, something to play for.”

Besides the two national championships, Free Smoke was national runner-up in 8U spring ball and won a 5 Star 8U open championship in the fall.

“We make mistakes, but we’ve got a lot of visual learners,” Johnson said. “We can show them film of what went wrong, and then they’ll go out and correct their mistakes. We’ve got kids who are learning to be coached.  Travel ball doesn’t last forever. Our job is preparing these players to succeed in middle school and high school.”

Free Smoke had a 13-3 record this season, won the 9U D3 fall championship and won its first state title in Mooresville.

The program’s losses usually have occurred when they are playing up against older, bigger squads.

Johnson is a patient man and started coaching youth football locally with the Salisbury 49ers program. Players were taught the proper way to make contact. They had to learn that their equipment is for their protection, not something to be used to hurt an opponent.

After meeting former West Rowan legend K.P. Parks, Johnson began coaching teams that were being organized through the Defenders Sports Academy in Cleveland.

When Defenders and the Next Generation Sports Academy, steered by former Salisbury Hornet stars Romar Morris and John Knox, joined forces, the combined “Next Generation Defenders” became an important part of the local youth sports landscape.

While Free Smoke has made a habit of winning almost every game, there was some adversity to overcome in Panama City, especially against the MD3 All-Stars, a Florida squad.

“They scored first on us, and then we fumbled the kickoff,” Johnson said. “Some teams would not have been mentally tough enough to come back from that kind of start, but we called a timeout and we regrouped.”

Free Smoke got it together and won 17-6.

Free Smoke’s 19-0 victory over Georgia’s Berrien County Outlaws went more smoothly and meant a national championship.

“Those teams down in Florida didn’t think a bunch of boys from North Carolina could ball like our boys did,” Johnson said cheerfully.

The 28-person Free Smoke team includes 21 players from Salisbury, five from the Concord-Charlotte area, one from Winston-Salem and one from Mocksville.

Coaches include Christian Little, Leonard Whitehead, Michael Prophet, Jeffrey Harper, Stanley Martin and Phillip Wilson.

“We’ve got some exceptional players who are exceptional kids,” Johnson said. “Football is over for now, but they’ll stay active with basketball, with track and field, with study halls. We’re still growing, still getting better.”